Rose taunts Stephanie
Stephanie's marriage is over, and she gets taunted by Rose Harper Wilson in this episode of Harpers Falls. Scene One The Harper mansion, a day after Natalya left town. Velda Smithfield is at her post, the place she loved very much. She had just finished a satisfying phone call with Alexander Fenwick in Somerset, and she is settling to get ready to read the Boston Globe, one of the many newspapers that come to the mansion on a daily basis. As she settles in, the phone rings again. She picks up. VELDA: Good morning, Harper mansion, this is Velda Smithfield. CLIFF: Velda, this is Cliff Atkinson. VELDA: Ah, a very good morning, sir. What can I do for you? CLIFF: Is Michael available? VELDA: I am sorry, but he is still asleep. It was a bit of a rough night for him. CLIFF: With a new baby, I am sure it was. VELDA (gently): Not quite, Mr. Atkinson. I'm afraid it was much worse than that. You see, Natalya left town. CLIFF (concerned): My goodness. What happened? VELDA: Natalya felt that she had married him under false pretenses, that, and Erica's pressure finally pushed her. She had the marriage annulled. CLIFF: What about the baby? VELDA: Natalya took him with her. Which was the only thing to do. He wasn't going to separate the child from his mother. CLIFF: I am sorry. VELDA: I had the maids told to let him sleep in. He should be up and about later on. He didn't have any major appointments today. CLIFF: Could you have him meet me at about Noon today? Over at my club in Boston? VELDA: Of course, Cliff. I will pass the message on to him. CLIFF: Thank you, Velda. VELDA: My pleasure, and have a lovely day. (Velda hangs up the phone and picks up the newspaper she was reading.) Scene Two WBOS, Patricia Wheeler is giving her niece, Erica, the business. PATRICIA (angrily): How CAN you be so vicious? To your own brother?! ERICA: What do you care?! PATRICIA: Don't you talk to me in that manner, Erica. I don't have to take it. ERICA: It doesn't matter, does it? I got my way! Natalya Ashton is no longer in town, and my position is safe! PATRICIA: You selfish little snip! Natalya made a choice that was very hard for her to make. She left Michael to take stock of her life. ERICA (crowing triumphantly): You see?! I KNEW she was a greedy money-grubber! PATRICIA (losing her temper): You listen to me, Missy! Natalya's family is just as wealthy as we are! The Ashtons are a powerful name in Hope Valley! ERICA: They are nothing compared to the Harpers! PATRICIA: I had worked a few charities over the years with Annie Ashton, and she had always struck me as charming. ERICA: Whatever. Look, I have a lot of work to do, and I need to get at it. PATRICIA: All right, I am going. But, I will tell you once more, Erica. Not ONE nasty remark about Natalya's leaving to Michael. It is hard enough on him as it is. ERICA: Why did YOU interfere and have that Wendy creature come to town? PATRICIA: THAT, madame, is NONE of your business! He has his rights to happiness, much as that idea makes you angry! (Erica shoots her aunt a hard glance) Scene Three Boston Common. Stephanie Rendell is infuriated. Her husband, Cliff, had thrown her out of their mansion, and she was planning her revenge. CRAIG: Stephanie, you know you can always stay with me. STEPHANIE: I know, darling. But I so want to make Cliff suffer for turning me out. CRAIG: Why not make him suffer for what he did to you, by living larger than he does. STEPHANIE: What do you mean? CRAIG: Move in with me. STEPHANIE: What about your wife? If she finds me there, she will have me slaughtered, and you too. CRAIG: My wife is usually spending time with her battleax mother! They are no match for me. STEPHANIE: All the same, I want to make sure you know one thing. Cliff Atkinson will PAY for humiliating me! CRAIG: And he will, believe me. He will pay for it. Look, I have to get back to work. I will meet you here, I had your cases picked up from the Atkinson mansion, and they are in one of the guest rooms in my mansion. No worries, Stephanie. STEPHANIE: I will see you later. (Craig leaves, as he heads to work, Rose Wilson comes along. She sees Stephanie on a bench.) ROSE: Well, well, well. It looks like you've finally been destroyed! Couldn't have happened to a better person! STEPHANIE: Oh, shut up! ROSE: How many times have you wanted me to be destroyed? You've been that way since we were in school! STEPHANIE: I said SHUT YOUR FACE! ROSE: Fine, I am just leaving then. STEPHANIE: And get out of this park! You aren't welcome here! ROSE (shaking her head in amusement): There you go again, throwing weight around that you don't have. Pathetic! (Stephanie sulks, as Rose goes to her husband, Mark's place of business. It would be a LONG day!) Scene Four A restaurant located near where Stephanie is seated at Boston Common. Mark, Rose and Craig himself are eating a late lunch. CRAIG: How did I do? MARK: Nice touch with the wife. CRAIG: Not too over the top? ROSE: Not at all, Craig. CRAIG: How did you manage to deal with her all that time, Mrs. Wilson? ROSE: It wasn't easy, I guarantee you that. MARK: The woman is vicious. And a money-grubber. CRAIG: I was merely a fling for her. She seduced me. ROSE: She is quite a sedusa, I will say that much. CRAIG: What do I do? MARK: Nothing. Continue to lead her to believe that you will take her in. And when it comes to that, have her belongings thrown to the curb. CRAIG: I have everything in a guest room at my mansion. I can have it transferred later on this evening. ROSE: And I know the perfect motel. CRAIG: Motel? ROSE: Yes, a place over on the North Shore. Something really low-class, like she is! (The three toast to their plan) Scene Five The Atkinson mansion, later on. Cliff is talking with Jane. CLIFF: Stephanie asked for what she got. I still can't believe that she seduced me for my money. JANE: She was a slut. Nothing more than a pure unadulterated slut! CLIFF: And I fell for her. I feel so dumb. JANE: She's nothing. CLIFF: I fear she still has some leverage. JANE: You don't have a thing to worry about, Cliff. Stephanie has been demolished and she has lost whatever leverage she had. She is at bottom, where she deserves. CLIFF: I hope she doesn't try to take aim at my fortune. JANE: She can't, Cliff. I saw to that. CLIFF: How did you do that? JANE: With a bit of help, from her worst enemy! CLIFF: Rose Harper Wilson? JANE: The same. CLIFF: She was all for it? JANE: Cliff, Stephanie and Rose have been enemies for YEARS! To see Stephanie fall, Rose was all the willing to see her finished. CLIFF: That is good news. I hope Michael can get some good news. JANE: It's a shame for him, I really feel bad for him. For all of them, actually. CLIFF: How did you hear about it? The Harpers said nothing about it. JANE: I heard about it from a society friend that knows them. Michael has taken Natalya's leaving hard. CLIFF: He really did love her. JANE: She did what she felt she had to for herself and her child. CLIFF: And Erica busting his chops about it. JANE: Erica. Another Stephanie, as far as I am concerned. CLIFF: Cheers, Jane. JANE: To what, Cliff? CLIFF: Freedom for me, from that leech Stephanie; and hope for Michael that he will find someone he can love. JANE: Cheers. (They clink glasses in celebration of their victory.) MID-BREAK ANNOUNCEMENT (Voice of Madeline Zima: "Harpers Falls: A New Beginning will continue in a moment here on ONtv.") Scene Six Craig Atchley's mansion, that evening. The butler moves Stephanie's things to the curb, as per the instructions of his employer. CRAIG: Nice work, Wilkins. When Stephanie comes by, she will be shocked. WILKINS: Can we use one of the shacks outside of town, sir? CRAIG: When they pick up her stuff, we have found a perfect place for her. WILKINS: What is it, sir? CRAIG: The Box Tree motel, way up in Haverhill! WILKINS: Very good work, sir. That is so far enough out of the way that she can't make any trouble for us. CRAIG: Close enough to New Hampshire. WILKINS: Will she be back? CRAIG: I don't know, Wilkins. She is very resourceful, I will say that. WILKINS: Here she comes. (A cab pulls up to the curb, Stephanie is stunned to see her bags on the curb.) STEPHANIE: Craig, what are my things doing here? Why is that butler not taking them to my room? CRAIG: For one reason, Stephanie. I lured you into a false sense of security! (Stephanie is angered) Scene Seven The Harper mansion. Wendy Schraederman is getting used to her new home. She had her things sent up from Smythewood, thanks to her sister, Vivienne VanCortlandt. She is on the phone with Vivienne (voiced by Julia Barr playing her old role on Smythewood). WENDY: Yes, Viv. It's wonderful. Much like our old mansion. VIVIENNE (via Phone): I was stunned when you received that call. Who had done that? WENDY: It was Mrs. Wheeler. VIVIENNE: Patricia Wheeler, his aunt? WENDY: Well, her and Velda both. You remember Velda, right? VIVIENNE: I certainly do. She was wonderful. WENDY: I was calling to see when the rest of my things will be coming. VIVIENNE: I have them all on the way. Because I have a surprise for you. WENDY: What do you mean? VIVIENNE: I am going to bring them myself. James is on business in Spain, he's helping out that financial situation there, and he said for me to tell you hello. WENDY: Is the honeymoon doing well. VIVIENNE: Still. We're more in love than ever. Shane moved to Los Angeles and he is enjoying life there. WENDY: I can't wait to see you. VIVIENNE: I love you, sis. WENDY: Love you too, Wendy. Take care. (Wendy hangs up the phone.) Scene Eight A gentlemen's club on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, that evening. Michael is meeting with Cliff. CLIFF: I am sorry to have heard about Natalya. MICHAEL: She wanted to leave. She wouldn't be stopped. CLIFF: Well, happily I am rid of Stephanie. MICHAEL: I heard. The Conwells talked with Jane, I guess. CLIFF (amused): She never quits. Gloria Conwell. Always gossiping. MICHAEL: Nope, she doesn't. (Grins) She is always talking about something. CLIFF: Well, I talked with the membership committee. And they think you are a shoo-in. With your power, influence, and the Harper name, you are as good as in. MICHAEL: That is helpful, after all. CLIFF: And don't worry, someone will come into your life. MICHAEL: Maybe that has already happened. CLIFF: Jane told me, Wendy Schraederman. She is a great woman. MICHAEL: I want to make up for what happened with Natalya. CLIFF: I think it will work out. (The two friends toast to new beginnings, for both of them) Scene Nine WBOS. Erica is still seething with rage from her horrid interview with her aunt. ERICA: Celia, I don't want to be disturbed. I want to make a very private phone call. Thank you. (Erica dials her phone, it's a long distance call to London, England.) MALE VOICE: Hello? ERICA: Nigel, is that you?! (The person on the other end of the line was Nigel Bennett, a real thorn in the Harpers side, and it's odd that Erica is talking to him!) NIGEL: Of course it is, Ms. Harper. ERICA: You failed at breaking up Dylan and Alex, but that is not surprising, given that they are so lovey-dovey. NIGEL: Look, ma'am. I broke up Chris and Bill and had Chris killed. When you ordered me to break Dylan and Alex up, I tried what I could, and I couldn't do it. Those two are so devoted and so connected, that I couldn't do anything about it. They are a team. ERICA: That is neither here or there. And you leave those two alone from now on. They are no longer on my radar and they are totally hands-off. I have a new assignment for you. NIGEL: What is that? ERICA: Have you any contact with Hannah? NIGEL: Why would she have any contact with me? ERICA: What are you talking about? NIGEL: I am in JAIL, Ma'am! Haven't you heard ANYTHING about it? ERICA (stunned): Why are you there?! NIGEL (bitterly): You should know why I am here, Erica. For the murder of YOUR nephew! (Erica seethes) Scene Ten Craig Atchley's mansion. STEPHANIE: What the hell are you talking about? CRAIG: The fact is that I don't love you. I've NEVER loved you! STEPHANIE: You bastard! That Rose had a hand in it, didn't she? CRAIG: So if she did? She is right about you. STEPHANIE: I will take my bags and go to the Ritz! CRAIG: I wouldn't be so sure of that? STEPHANIE (seething): Why?! CRAIG: I talked with your former husband, Cliff Atkinson, I think it is. STEPHANIE: What did that loser have to say?! CRAIG: He told me what you did, and I am disgusted with you! STEPHANIE: That bastard! How dare he make a fool of me. CRAIG: Not quite, YOU are the fool. STEPHANIE: Tell me how I am the fool! I have money! CRAIG: Maybe not! He told me that your assets are frozen! STEPHANIE: Maybe from him, I don't, but my family. CRAIG (delivering the news with an icy smile): He froze those assets too! (Stephanie looks enraged and in shock. The scene fades) ''(V''oice of Kassie DePaiva: "On the next Harpers Falls: A New Beginning...") WENDY (to Michael): I know she hurt you, but you know I won't hurt you. '' STEPHANIE (on the phone): You can't be SERIOUS, Daddy! I DEMAND that those assets be unfrozen now!'' '' ERICA (on the phone with Nigel): You better do what you can to make sure Hannah gives you full custody of Maggie! And if she doesn't, then I will deal with her myself!'' Category:Episodes